I had my 04 RX in for a oil change and they gave me an 08 RX as a loaner. While I did like the power the new engine generates, there was nothing else that impressed me. The leather was not as soft and supple, nor did it look as rich and uniform. It looked cheap. The car handled rather poorly with much more body roll and was not as smooth as my 04. The road noise and transmission noise was worse too. All-in-all, if they don't do a better job on the 09 I might just skip the upgrade. I will certainly be comparing other brands this time around.

 

Good review. Ironically, driving an '08 loaner for three days pretty much sealed my desire to purchase one.

For a variety of reasons - none of them really bad - we've had a few loaners in the family the past week. Right now, in fact, my wife and I are each driving '06 400h models. I'm amazed at how different they are, particularly since they both have right at 11k miles on them. It does make me wonder about the wear & tear on these things, even though it's obvious these units are driven by people who treat them like they're stolen.

Just curious...and this is pretty random, but I'll ask anyway. Any chance your loaner had the Goodyear tires? I test drove one with the GY's, and bought one with the Michelins...and it was stunning how much better mine handles and rides compared to the other one.

 

interesting how you say this cause the newer models are suppose to be insulated better and be more quiet. Also, the leather might have been the affect of being too new. With years of usage, it would get softer because your always sitting on it. suspension should be the same...

 

The loaner had Michelins. My 04 with 30k Goodyears runs quieter. The leather was coarser and didn't seem as refined and plush as on my 04. It was really hard leather. My 04 was never that hard.

I love my RX and would have to be pushed really hard to move away from another. Yet I didn't like the 08 as much as my 04. Since I have only 30k on the 04 I really don't need another but I was thinking of a new 09 with a new body style and perhaps a slight bit larger and quicker.

If I had not had my 04 to compare against I would have been more impressed with the 08. The new motor is a big plus but I get such good mileage with the 04 and it has enough power so that is not enough to make me want to upgrade. The engine runs and the transmission shifts much quieter and smoother in my 04.

My comments are just minor digs that I didn't care for. The RX, IMO is still a great vehicle. I just don't find the new model as nice as my older model.

 

I didn't like the handling on the RX350 either but it may have been the Michelin tires. As for the leather it is supposed to have a different coating which feels stiffer but is supposed to be more resistant to stains.

 

thats so weird you guys are talking about the michelins cause i had the goodyears twice, and at 60K i decided to go with the michelins and it is quieter than the goodyears. handling is about the same, maybe worse by a very little

 

To me it felt that the car was rolling over on the sidewall. I don't know this for a fact but it felt like the sidewall on the Michelins was less stiff. I don't drive all that hard so this was a surprise to me. I also didn't check the inflation on the loaner. As to the noise, it could be that the Michelins just didn't like the concrete I was on but they were whistling while the Goodyears were quiet on that stretch of road. I'm getting ready for new rubber and I'm planning on putting on Bridgestone Dueler Alenza's.

 

Interesting only because I had the opposite impression. Who knows? Neither the Michelins or GY's are optimum choices in my opinion, but they'll certainly do until they wear out.

Now that you mention it, we came really close to buying an '04 for my wife. We were more excited about that one than the '07's and '08's we looked at over the past three months. I can definitely see why you like yours so much.

 

i love my 04 as well, but there are just some things i wished that i had that the 04s out left out in. THis includes the newer nav version, bluetooth, and the supposed insulation for improved road noise.

 

Toyo Proxes ST, anybody rides on them?

 

both of the stock tires arent good. thats why i switched to nitto 420S's

 

Is there that much of a noticeable difference in power between the 330 & 350? I know 270 vs. 230 (our '04's) looks good on paper, but the 0-60 time I don't think is even .05 seconds quicker...

Oh well, I'll be in an IS350 soon, and I know I'll feel the power difference there!

 

The 0-60 times are faster while I didn't personally time them, Edmunds did. See the data below. I did notice that the car felt a lot peppier.

FWIW,

Edmunds data:
RX330 0-60 in 7.8 seconds
RX350 0-60 in 7.3 seconds

That is a half a second faster, 0.5 sec not 0.05 sec faster.

 

Probably more due to the hesitation/delay in the RX330's tranny. LOL!


.

 

There is a little bit of diff. in accelaration between the 2, but not enough to make any 330 owner say " I got to trade in for the 350"